Separator for coins



Filed April 13, 1961 /RM 6W' ATTOR N EYS United States Patent' O3,147,759 SEPARATR FOR CHNS Richard E. Perkins, Holiiston, Mass.,assignor to Electronie Coin Processing Corporation, New York, NY., acorporation of New York Filed Apr. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 102,744 3 Clainis.(Cl. 133-3) This invention relates to coin handling machines and moreparticularly comprises a device for sorting coins by size. Itconstitutes an improvement over the coin sorting device shown in anapplication of White, Serial No. 49,909, filed August 16, 1960, andentitled Mutilated Coin Separator. This invention has numerousapplications, although particularly suited for use in combination withother devices which determine the authenticity of coins by inspectingother than their size.

In coin handling equipment of virtually all varieties, it isadvantageous to sort coins of each denomination by size to remove allcoins which are worn and/ or mutilated from coils in good condition. Forexample, even in coin handling machines of large capacity, coins arenormally fed one at a time in very rapid succession through successivestages and abnormally shaped or sized coins may jam or otherwise causethe machine to function improperly. Thus, by separating the abnormallysized and mutilated coins from those coins in good condition suchdifiiculties may be avoided.

To separate worn and/ or mutilated coins from normal coins, I provide aclosed box, preferably square in cross section, which is rotated aboutan axis coincident with the centers of the ends of the box. Extendingaway from the inner surface of the trailing edge of each side Wall ofthe box are a plurality of slots dimensioned to very close tolerances.The box is intended to handle coins of a single denomination. The slotshave width and height dimensions but a few thousandths of an inch morethan the diameter and thickness of normal unmutilated coins of thatdenomination and may be of substantial length.

As the box rotates about the described axis, the coins 3,l47,759Patented Sept. 8, 1964 "ice FIG. 1 is a side view of a coin separatorconstructedin accordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a major portion of the coin Separatorshown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the corresponding sectionline in FIG. 2.

The coin separating mechanism shown in FIG. 1 includes in its generalorganization a box 10 supported for rotation by shaft 12 about an axisdefined by the shaft bearing 14. The shaft 12 is rotated in thedirection of arrow 16 by motor 18 through belt 20 and pulleys 22 and 24.Pulley 22 is shown in FIG. 1 to be carried on the shaft of motor 18while pulley 24 is shown mounted on the supporting shaft 12 whichsupports the box.

The shaft 12 extends through the circular opening 26 formed in end Wall28 of box 10 and does not interfere With the introduction of coins intothe box through that opening. The shaft 12 supports the box 10 by meansof a Spider 30 suggested diagrammatically by broken lines in FIG. l andby engaging the other end wall 32 of the box which is imperforate exceptfor the small opening through which the shaft 12 actually passes. Thus,the shaft 12 firmly supports the box 10 and causes the box to rotatewith it.

The box 10 is generally defined by end Walls 28 and 32 and side walls40, 42, 44 and 46. Each of the side walls extends on one side aconsiderable distance beyond the edge of the adjacent side wall to whichit is secured and supports a block on the portion beyond the adjacentside wall. Thus, as is clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, wall supportsblock 48, wall 42 supports block 50, wall 44 supports block 52, and wall46 supports block 54. The blocks are supported on the extended side ofeach side wall and engage the edge of the adjacent side wall in eachinstance. The inner edge of each of the side walls defines with theadjacent wall a continuous plane extendfed to the box slide down theflat walls toward the slots of the slots, which receive each of thecoins that escapes from the box through the slots. The chamber isprovided with a circular opening of a diameter a few thousandths of aninch greater than the normal diameter of unmutilated coins of thedenomination under test. the coins are subjected toan additional testwhen the ing up from the supporting side wall. Thus, in FIGS. 2 and 3,it will be noted that the inner edge 56 of block 52 forms a continuationof the inner surface of the wall 46 and they together define a planeextending upwardly from the surface of wall 44. A similar arrangement isshown on each of the other sides.

The blocks are each provided with a plurality of parallel slots 60formed in the face lying on the supporting wall, which slots have Vawidth w but a few thousandths 7 of an inch greater than the diameter ofthe normal coins Thus, I,

improvement disclosed herein is incorporated as a part of the coinSeparator; namely, if the diameter of a coin measured in any directionexceeds the normal diameter of the coin of the denomination under test,it will not fall through the circular slot from the chamber but ratherwill be retained in it. While such a coin may pass through the slotformed in the box wall so long as the enlarged diameter does not alignitself with the slot, the coin may not pass through the circularopening.

These and other objects and features of my invention will be betterunderstood and appreciated from the following detailed description ofone embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shownin the accompanying drawing, in which:

of the denomination to be sorted. The height h of each slot 60 is a fewthousandths of an inch greater than the thickness of the denomination ofcoins to be sorted. Thus, the slots have width w and height h dimensionssubstantially equal to the diameter and thickness of the normal coinsbut just large enough to permit them to slide into the slots in theabsence of any mutilation.

The slots 60 terminate in or register with circular openings 62extending from the upper or outer surface 64 of the blocks so that theslots 60 and circular openings 62 together define passages extendingthrough the whole thicknessrof the blocks. When the blocks are disposedon the planes in the manner shown in FIG. 3, each slot 60 and circularopening 62 cooperate to form a chamber immediately outside the box 10into which coins may slide when of normal size. Further, the circularopenings 62 form an exit for coins from the chamber after they have leftthe box.

In the foregoing description the width and height of the slots 60 havebeen described as testing the diameters and thicknesses of the coins fedto the box 10. In addition, the slot 60 and lthe opening 62 test forcoin mutilation. The length through which coins must pass between thepoint of entry into one slot 60 and the position wherein it is alignedwith circular openings 62 is substantial. As

It will be recognized that if the passages60 continued to the outer edgeof the block 52 rather than stop short thereof, an unbowed coin notexceeding normal thickness and having a diameter measured in onedirection not exceeding the width of the slot could pass out of the boxif the .coin aligned itself with one of the slots. Thus, referring toFIG. 3, the coin 66 could pass through the slot 60 (assuming the absenceof circular opening 62) so long as the coin thickness did not exceed theheight h of the slot 60 and the diameter of the coin as measured normalto the plane of the drawing did not exceed the width w of the slot.Thus, even though the diameter of the coin as measured in the plane ofthe paper exceeded the normal diameter of the coin, it could passthrough the slot 60 out of the box if the slot 60 continued along thesurface of wall 44. However, by closing the end of the slot 60, lthatis, by providing a stop at the end of the slot 60 formed by the outerportion of the block itself, and causing the coin to escape through 'thecircular opening 62, the diameter of the coin 66 is tested in alldirections and must conform in all directions to the diameter of thecircular opening 62 in order that it can escape from the box.

Having described the details of my invention, I will now brieflydescribe its operation. In use, the motor 18 rotates the box on theshaft 12 at approximately one revolution per second, and as the boxrotates the particular denomination of coins for which the box is odesigned are fed to it through the opening 26 in the end wall 28.Referring to FIG. 3, assume that the box 10 is rotating in the directionof arrow 16 and a number of coins lie on the side wall 44 of the box.When the box 10 has rotated approximately 30 degrees from the positionshown in FIG. 3, the coins disposed on the bottom Wall 44 will slidetoward the slots 60 in the block 52 formed adjacent the trailing edge ofthe wall 44. Those coins which in thickness do not exceed the height hof the slots 60 and whose diameters aligned longitudinally with the wall44 do not exceed the width w of the slots, and those coins which are notbowed any substanti-al amount will enter the slots 60 and pass to theposition suggested by coin 66'. Such coins will remain in the end of thechambers defined by the slots 60 and circular openings 62 until they areliterally dumped from the chambers When each is inverted as suggested bythe position of block 48. It will be noted in FIG. 3 that a coin 66" isshown falling from the block 48. Coins will drop from the box 48 or anyof the other boxes through the openings 62 only if their diameter isuniform and within the dimensions dictated by the diameter of theopenings.

In FIG. 1 it will be noted that a bin 70 is provided below the box 10and is positioned to collect all coins which pass through the slots andopenings. Such coins may be directed by the chute '72 to any desiredlocation where additional tests may be performed on the coins todetermine their authenticity. Oversized coins or mutilated coins willcollect in the box 10 and periodically the operator may shut down thesystem to clear those coins from the box. If this is not done, thecapacity of the box to sort coins may be impaired.

Having described my invention in detail, those skilled in the art willappreciate that numerous modifications may be made of the illustratedembodiment without departing from the spirit of my invention. Therefore,I do not intend to limit the breadth of my invention to the singleembodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is my intenttion thatthe breadth of this invention be determined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coin sorter, walls defining 'a slot having width and heightdimensions a few thousandths of an inch larger than the diameter andthickness of an unworn and unmutilated coin of the denornination to besorted, means disposed at the end of the slot preventing coins frommoving translationally beyond a selected point in the slot, a walloverlying the end of the slot, a circular opening formed in the wall ina plane parallel to the slot and having a diameter a few thousandths ofan inch larger than the diameter of the unmu'tilated coin, and drivemeans connected to the sorter and periodically inverting the slot causngcoins which fit within the slot to slide into the slot and drop out ofthe slot through the circular opening.

2. A coin sorter comprising walls defining a closed box square in crosssection, means for rotating the box about an axis coincident with thecenter of the section, means defining slots extending upwardly fromadjacent the trailing edges of each Wall, said slots having a width andheight substantially equal to the diameter and thickness of normal coinsof the denomination to be sorted, addiztional walls defining coinchambers beyond the slots, said chambers having coin supporting surfacesforming continuations of the bottoms of the slots,l and circular exitpassages formed in the additional walls in-alplane parallel to and abovethe suppontiug surfaces, said passages having a diameter just exceedingthe diameter of normal coins of the denomination to be sorted wherebywhen each Chamber is inverted as the box rotates normal coins in thechambers may fall out through the exit passages.

3. A coin sorter comprising walls defining a closed box, means forrotating the box, an inlet formed in the box for introducing coins intoits interior, means defining slots extending upwardly from -adjacent thetrailing edges of each wall, said slots having a width and heightsubstantially equal to the diameter and thickness of normal coins of thedenomination to be sorted, additional walls defining coin chambersbeyond the slots, said chambers having coin supporting surfaces formingcontinuations of the bottoms of the slots, and circular exit passagesformed in the additional walls in a plane parallel to and above thesupporting surfaoes, said passages having a diameter just exceeding thediameter of normal coins of the denomination to be sorted whereby wheneach Chamber is inverted as the box rotates normal coins in the chambersmay fall out through the exit passages.

References Cited in the file of this patent U UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. IN A COIN SORTER, WALLS DEFINING A SLOT HAVING WIDTH AND HEIGHTDIMENSIONS A FEW THOUSANDTHS OF AN INCH LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER ANDTHICKNESS OF AN UNWORN AND UNMUTILATED COIN OF THE DENOMINATION TO BESORTED, MEANS DISPOSED AT THE END OF THE SLOT PREVENTING COINS FROMMOVING TRANSLATIONALLY BEYOND A SELECTED POINT IN THE SLOT, A WALLOVERLYING THE END OF THE SLOT, A CIRCULAR OPENING FORMED IN THE WALL INA PLANE PARALLEL TO THE SLOT AND HAVING A DIAMETER A FEW THOUSANDTHS OFAN INCH LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE UNMUTILATED COIN, AND DRIVEMEANS CONNECTED TO THE SORTER AND PERIODICALLY INVERTING THE SLOTCAUSING COINS WHICH FIT WITHIN THE SLOT TO SLIDE INTO THE SLOT AND DROPOUT OF THE SLOT THROUGH THE CIRCULAR OPENING.